Beginning Saturday, April 15, individuals and families may join a free highlights walking tour through El Barrio. The tour, conducted by guides from Big Onion Walking Tours, has been specially developed with the East Harlem Board of Tourism to feature the thriving Latino arts, culture, and cuisine of the fabled El Barrio community. Sites include the Graffiti Hall of Fame, street murals, St. Cecilia’s Roman Catholic Church, First Spanish United Methodist “Young Lords” Church, La Marqueta, Luis Muñoz Marin Boulevard, the remarkable concentration of museums, galleries and restaurants in El Barrio’s “cultural corridor,” and much, much more.

The Destination: El Barrio walking tour is offered Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. from April 15 through October 14. The tour is FREE and supported by a grant to El Museo del Barrio and the East Harlem Board of Tourism from the Deutsche Bank Americas and Rockefeller Brothers Fund Arts and Enterprise Program. The tour meets at the SE corner of Fifth Avenue and 104th Street. Prior to the tour, participants are invited to visit El Museo del Barrio and the Museum of the City of New York (suggested admission contributions apply). All individuals and families are invited to join, but no groups, please. No reservations necessary.

The East Harlem Board of Tourism is a group of museums, galleries, artists, activists, historians, entrepreneurs, business organizations, and housing advocates who share a vision of East Harlem/El Barrio as a mecca for tourists with an interest in Latino culture, New York style, and the rich multicultural history of the neighborhood. Its mission includes developing tourism destinations and infrastructure and increasing overall visitorship in East Harlem as means to develop the local economy.